Thoughts from the interface of science, religion, law and culture

After spending several years touring the country as a stand up comedian, Ed Brayton tired of explaining his jokes to small groups of dazed illiterates and turned to writing as the most common outlet for the voices in his head. He has appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show and the Thom Hartmann Show, and is almost certain that he is the only person ever to make fun of Chuck Norris on C-SPAN.

EVENTS

Those Damn Atheist Bullies!

The Western Center for Journalism was founded by the Worldnutdaily’s Joseph Farah, so it comes as no surprise that rationality and objectivity continue to elude them. This article by B. Christopher Agee is a perfect example. “Atheist bullies force school to cancel graduation,” the headline blares.

The godless extremists in the Freedom From Religion Foundation are notoriously unsatisfied with the extent to which faith has already been relegated in our society…

One of the group’s most recent targets is the Riverside School District in Arkansas – specifically, a sixth-grade graduation event that typically features a prayer involving students.

Superintendent Tommy Knight said that he and the school board decided to cancel the ceremony at a recent meeting, which included a number of upset parents in attendance.

Kelly Adams, one such concerned parent, said she thinks that “there were a lot of people hurt that our rights were taken away.”

Logic, thou art a fickle muse. The graduation was canceled by the Christians on the school board, not atheists. They could have held the graduation without forcing every student to sit through their religious exercises, but they chose not to. It was more important to them to be able to impose their religious beliefs on others than it was to hold the graduation. Who are the bullies here, exactly?

Comments

Any secular ceremony that FEATURES a prayer is not secular.
If cancelling the invocation means cancelling the graduation, then the ceremony clearly is intended as a celebration of religious, not academic achievement. Though commemorating a transition as trivial as entering 7th grade is absurd.

“Superintendent Tommy Knight said that he and the school board decided to cancel the ceremony at a recent meeting, which included a number of upset parents in attendance”.

Why did the recent meeting also include this ceremony? And why did this ceremony include a number of upset parents as attendants?
And what of the ceremony at the graduation, will it be canceled too, dissatisfied, upset parents and all?

Dingo
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Since the right seems to like to characterise atheists as being grumpy, bad-tempered or angry, I think they mean dissatisfied rather than unsatisfied. Indeed, as we are winning the struggle to pull the world into the 21st century, I think we are well and truly being satisfied. It’s those who want to return to the theocratic ways of the past who are both dissatisfied and unsatisfied as shown in the leader.

“It was more important to them to be able to impose their religious beliefs on others than it was to hold the graduation.”

Oh, come on! You force us Real Americans® to sit beside you as you not-pray day after day, but when We get a small window of opportunity to share with you that you don’t belong, you blow your Athiest stacks?
We’ve already compromised; if you don’t want to pray, you can leave. How much more compromising do you people want? Think of the children!

Can someone in Arkansas explain Baccalaureate Service to the Riverside School District? Also, point out the largest church in town that parents in the district can use to have one for the sixth graders. Thank you.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baccalaureate_service

“The godless extremists in the Freedom From Religion Foundation”
Agee can call me back when the FFRF puts out a whitepaper or model bill that says christians can’t graduate or hold public office unless they renounce their god.